A Photographic Portrait of a Landscape. New Dimensions in Landscape Philosophyartist Pietsie Feenstra / Wapke Feenstra / myvillages.orgyear 2012language(s) English, Frisianlocation NETHERLANDS, Wjelsrypregion 1 North (North)index no. 01.1.12media Bookabout the media A combination of an essay on cultural history as well as a visual essay, containing landscape photo's, poetry, a grass herbarium and information about the land of the village of Wjelsryp.date of input: 2013-01-30

about the project A Photographic Portrait of a Landscape is a micro study that explores cultural centres and land ownership. The expansion of the European Union has been accompanied by a growing interest in national identity, which uses landscape as a projection screen for envisaged expectations. The theories of Ton Lemaire (Filosofie van het landschap,1970) and the post-colonial approach to culture of Homi K. Bhabha (The Location of Culture, 1994) are the guides on a journey through a landscape in the north of the Netherlands.

The term 'landscape' lends itself to countless associations and expectations: there is no single, clear-cut definition of landscape. That's what makes landscape such a good starting point for philosophical questions about the dynamics of cultural centres, the views of institutions and the evolution of culture in a natural environment. Who actually owned the land? Who created the landscape? Who determined the cultural rhythm? Who laid claim to the soil? This book unravels these questions and more.

Pietsie Feenstra's (Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris III) essay on cultural history takes us on a filmic journey through a terp landscape in the Dutch province of Friesland, interpreting and uncovering its secrets by sifting through photographic images and delving into archives. She was inspired by an album of photos from 1978 that show the Frisian village of Wjelsryp.

The visual essay by Wapke Feenstra (myvillages.org) is a collation of recent landscape photos, photos taken by local residents, poetry, information about the land, and a grass herbarium. The landscape is presented from the perspective of the local dweller.